BEIJING: China has reportedly banned all tobacco and sex
advertising on the internet, sparking fears that this will be the start
of a long list of prohibited content online.
According to reports in China, the new rules -dubbed the Interim
Measures of Beijing Municipality on the Management of Internet
Advertisements - have been introduced by the Beijing Municipal
Administration for Industry and Commerce (BMAIC).
They come into effect on May 1, and apply to all products and services
prohibited by law, as well as good and services already banned from
traditional advertising media.
Zenith Media deputy managing director for China, Steven Chang, said the
regulation will deal a blow to China's internet sector, which is still
in its "infancy". According to the agency, internet advertising in China
is expected to reach RMB750 million (USdollars 90.6 million) this year,
rising to RMB1,800 million and RMB4,500 million in 2002 and 2003
respectively.
Chang added that while he did not expect the ban to hinder creativity,
there is always a concern over censorship of content on the web. This
would inevitably "affect creative execution because all ads would be
subject to official government approval".
Grey Worldwide account director in Beijing, Christina Chan, said the
agency did not expect any complications following the ban. "There are
many regulations here (in China), but for a long time the internet has
remained unregulated. This gap has been closed with these
regulations.
"Most of the 4As agencies in China should have details on these
regulations and what we understand is that the rules that apply for
offline advertising, also apply for the online world," Chan
explained.
AdXplorer's chief executive, Anthony Young, said the ban on cigarette
advertising was "an expected part of the legitimising of online as an
advertising medium". But he added that despite close scrutiny from the
Chinese government, "the business of advertising carries on and the
challenge is always to work within these conditions".
Young added: "Logistically, ad approvals on TVCs through the appropriate
administrative bodies usually take a couple of days. So there will be a
slight slowing down of the process which will need to be factored into
the advertising planning process and probably an additional cost."
While the ban is seen as an "inconvenience", Young believed it will not
affect spending revenue.
The ban also presents numerous difficulties for internet service
providers (ISPs) in China as ISPs must prevent sites residing on their
servers from featuring any ads relating to tobacco or sex.
ISPs already require government approval for online ads that contain
drugs, pesticides and other goods. Ads relating to overseas studies and
employment agencies must also receive approval.
Now China's ISPs must send all copies of ads to the Internet
Advertisement Management Centre, part of the BMAIC, responsible for
publishing ads on sites. It was unclear what penalties would be incurred
for advertisers.
